Rum Ragged

Rum Ragged are a Canadian folk music group from Newfoundland and Labrador who are JUNO Award nominees taking a bold approach to the distinct folk music of their home, the Eastern Canadian island of Newfoundland. Originally consisting of accordionist Aaron Collis and singer/guitarist Mark Manning who met while playing solo gigs downtown St. John's, the band released its self-titled debut album in 2016. As they both left home to attend university in St. John's, they found themselves drawn to the downtown music scene and soon began playing as a duo. The current lineup features fiddler Colin Grant and multi-instrumentalist Zack Nash who joined in early 2019. Boasting bouzouki, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, guitar, and button accordion, these new champions of East Coast music enliven and enlighten audiences with their signature brand of Newfoundland folk. With a reverence for their roots and a creative, contemporary edge, this young band has quickly become known as the finest performers of their great, living, musical tradition. The band name originated from their early days playing the pub circuit of downtown St. John's with multiple shows a day; they were often asked if they were run ragged from all the back-to-back performances, so Mark and Aaron took the phrase and added some local flavour by switching run for rum. They are most noted for their 2020 album The Thing About Fish, which was a shortlisted Juno Award nominee for Traditional Roots Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021.

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